Maitland's "Coxy" Sadly Dies

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Maitland's colourful character Trevor "Coxy" Cox has sadly died.

The 60-year-old had been living as a homeless man in the Maitland area for the last 30 years, but police were alerted to his death this morning after his body found at a local caravan park at around 10am.

Police say the circumstances surrounding his death are not suspicious.

Police were saddened to hear of his death and were appealing for information from the public on his next of kin. This afternoon with the help of the public and the media, they were able to track them down.

Mr Cox has been described as being larger than life, and was spotted frequently greeting shoppers near Westpac Bank in Maitland.

In 2013 there were concerns Mr Cox had disappeared, with many locals contacting Fairfax media at the time worried about where he was. Thankfully though he was spotted alive and well and was back greeting locals.

Tributes have been pouring in on social media with many describing Mr Cox as a true gentleman and saying that Maitland won't be the same without him.

Ninth Annual Hunter Homeless Connect Day

BY MICHAEL COOK

The ninth annual Hunter Homeless Connect Day at the Newcastle Basketball Stadium is on today with a number of service providers in attendance.

The number of homeless people in the Hunter is on the rise so an event such as the Homeless Connect Day will hope to combat this through providing information and assistance.

Hunter Homeless Connect coordinator Michelle Faithfull says the day provides a chance for ideas to be shared about homelessness in the community.

Services at the day include health screening and information, sports and recreation, legal, financial and family assistance as well as housing and accommodation support.

Clothes for the Hunter Homeless Connect Day

Carrie's Place to Expand in 2017

BY TANYA DU PREEZ

Maitland's anti-domestic violence service and homeless shelter Carrie's Place plans to expand into the heart of the city next year.

Coordinator Jenny Harland said the soaring statistics of domestic violence in Maitland had necessitated a drastic expansion of the service in the near future.

"We've totally outgrown the resource centre," Ms Harland said.

"We need to increase our space and expand our operations, so we're pursuing somewhere to move in Maitland."

The organisation plans to move to new headquarters which will include a car park, access to public transport and security for people fleeing violence.

CEO Jan McDonald says she hopes the expansion will make Carrie's Place more efficient and welcoming.

"We currently just have the one property, and clients sometimes have to sit out in the garden, in the children's room, in the kitchen where our groceries are - because there's just not enough room at all here," she said.

"We are looking at moving to facilities that allow our clients to feel safer and afford them a bit more dignity."

The move will be funded by money raised by the members of Carrie's Place and the community.